California Shaman

The healers in the Hmong community are shamans. The shamans main target is an individual’s soul. The Shamans believe that healing is more than medical procedures. The Hmong community depend on spiritual beliefs to heal their illnesses; therefore they put a lot of trust in the shamans. The shamans do not charge the patients for their services. The Hmong shamans interact with the patients by placing objects on them and chanting. In the article a patient was hospitalized for hypertension and diabetes and the Hmong shaman healed him by looping coiled thread around the patient’s wrist. The shaman believe that their techniques recognize individual’s souls and place a protective shield around them. Also, a shaman was acknowledged that burned pieces of paper, which was a representation of bad spirits to protect a new born infant. Shamans sacrifice animals and burned paper, which symbolizes negotiating with spirits. Some shamans dance during their ceremonies. The Hmong community fear of western medicine caused the United States to adopt a Hmong shaman policy to strengthen the trust, which is significant in treating patients from various backgrounds. I believe that adopting a shaman policy in communities that serve Hmong people was a great idea because displaying an interest in patients’ cultures is very important. Many cultures have their own cures and explanations for health problems, which is why it is important to include a patients’ culture in their treatment plan. I believe that shamans in the United States make the Hmong individuals more comfortable and willing to trust western doctors medical procedures. I believe that most individuals fear is going against their beliefs and values; therefore it is important to integrate different cultural beliefs. If a clinician does not understand a patient’s culture and the patient is rejecting the treatment, the consequence can be fatal.